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The student must write a 2-5 page abbreviated self-evaluation that will be attached to your report. The self-eval must include a brief response to items 1-4:

1. A timeline for your degree requirements, including expected completion of the following: coursework, comprehensive exams and defense, thesis/project/dissertation approval, and anticipated graduation term, even if some of these items fall far into the future.  In other words, we want you to visualize success!

2. Current status of your research, project, paper(s), coursework, etc.

3. What has gone well thus far and what has not gone well.

4. A summary of accomplishments to date (i.e. natural/social science students may have published articles, attended conferences, etc.; Liberal arts students may have participated in recitals/concerts, art shows, etc.).

Other items you wish to include but are not required:

• What obstacles have been encountered in the last year and any anticipated obstacles along with a plan to mitigate their impact.
• Summary of funding to date (assistantships, scholarships, etc.).  Anticipated funding difficulties, if any. 
• Undergraduate courses taught/mentored, etc.

Click the button below for a template for your self-evaluation. Feel free to create your own original document, use the template as a guide, or create a copy of the template to fill in with your specific information. 

The form can be submitted by your committee chair/advisor or you. Remember to provide your Self-Evaluation Attachment to your advisor if they are submitting the report for you. To access the form click the button below.

Most Master’s programs require a written and/or oral comprehensive examination. Some programs (MBA, MEd, and MSDM) allow or require a capstone course or synthesizing paper instead of a comprehensive examination.  Some programs integrate the comprehensive exam into the thesis/project defense and don’t require a separate exam. However, it is the student’s responsibility to know their department’s requirements for the exam, how it is administered, and the dates it is given.

All Ph.D. students must pass a written comprehensive exam, and most programs require an oral comprehensive exam, which requires the presence of an Outside Examiner.  A request for an Outside Examiner must be submitted to the Graduate School at least two weeks before an oral comprehensive exam. Reference the catalog and departmental policies to find out which of these examinations apply to your program.

Within 10 days of completing your comprehensive examination (whether or not it is combined with your defense), you must submit a Report on Comprehensive Exam form. This form must be signed by your committee chair, committee members, department chair, and dean (and, for Ph.D. oral exams, the outside examiner).

You will receive one of three outcomes: Pass, Conditional Pass, or Fail.

• If you receive a Conditional Pass, the form must list the specific requirements you must complete before the exam is considered passed.

• These requirements may include a partial re-exam, additional readings and a paper, completing a course, or other remedies determined by your committee.

• The form must also include a deadline for completing these requirements.

Once all conditions are met, your committee must submit a second Report on Comprehensive Exam form confirming that you have successfully passed.

If you fail the exam, you may attempt to re-take your exam. Most departments have policies limiting how many times a failed exam may be repeated—typically two or three attempts—after which students may be dismissed from the program, though some programs allow additional attempts.

If you are a master’s student, you can submit the Advancement to Candidacy form to the Graduate School after completing at least 9 credits of coursework and, if required, passing your comprehensive exam. Depending on the program, 9 credits may not be sufficient to advance to candidacy so please consult with your committee or grad coordinator for program-specific requirements.  At the latest, this form must be submitted at least one semester before you plan to graduate. 

Ph.D. students should submit their Advancement to Candidacy as soon as they have finished required coursework and passed their comprehensive exams. At the latest, this form must be submitted at least one semester before you plan to graduate. 

At the latest, this form must be submitted at least one semester before you plan to graduate. The finalized Graduate Study Plan should be used as a basis for completing the Advancement to Candidacy. Click the button below to open the Advancement to Candidacy Form.